Public Realm to lead Roncesvalles redesign, hosting public meeting Sept. 21

Councillor Gord Perks has announced that the City’s Public Realm Section is leading the detailed design phase of the Roncesvalles Streetscape Improvement Project. The project leader will be Elyse Parker, the heavy-hitting director of the Public Realm Section, within the City’s Transportation Division.

Ms. Parker’s appointment is fantastic news for Roncesvalles. Before becoming director of Public Realm, she was Project Manager for the Clean and Beautiful Secretariat (which was absorbed into Public Realm earlier this year). Spacing.ca describes her as “someone with proven experience in improving pedestrian spaces in the city.” Among her accomplishments is the development of Toronto’s Boulevard Transformation Program, which seeks to “replace hard, impermeable concrete in neighbourhoods with greened sustainable boulevards.” Clearly, Ms. Parker has the clout and vision to help our community realize its top streetscape priorities.

The community will get a chance to meet Ms. Parker and her team at a public consultation meeting, to be held at the High Park Baptist Church (9 Hewitt) from 6:30 to 9 pm. At the meeting, community members will receive a briefing on the design parameters. There will be four stations set up where consultations with relevant City staffers will take place. The themes will be: 1) tree opportunities, 2) design of bike/transit platforms, 3) street furniture and 4) overall public realm design, location of platforms, sidewalks, crosswalks, etc. Community members will be free to focus on one station or move about. The discussions will concern design details within the scope of the overall design concept established during the recent EA process, approved by City Council on May 27.

I was not able to attend the meeting for the Ronces streetscape improvements. How might I be able to view and comment on what was presented? No info (as far as I can tell) is yet avaiable on either this site or the City website.